EAGER: CET: Biohydrometallurgic Recycling of Spent Li-ion Batteries

Boston College, Chestnut Hill MA

Investigators

Abstract

This EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award is made in response to Dear Colleague Letter 23-109, as part of the NSF-wide Clean Energy Technology initiative. Electrification has been a hallmark of modern society. However, due to the high demand of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and consumer products, the ever-increasing amount of waste is a critical concern. The development of green and cost-effective recycling of lithium-ion battery cathodes is of utmost importance, also to mitigate accessibility issues for critical minerals. This project investigates a new approach of utilizing microorganisms for the recovery of key battery cathode minerals (such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium). Known as biohydrometallurgy, the project’s battery recycling approach promises to address concerns associated with traditional recycling methods that rely on either energy-intensive high temperature methods or toxic/corrosive processing chemicals. Instead, the principal investigators rely on living organisms to accomplish the recovery of metals from spent batteries. This project builds on transformative recent successes in using microorganisms for such purpose but takes a fundamental step forward through the exploration of powering the functionality of the living organisms using materials already available in waste batteries in a green, self-sufficient fashion. The concept promises to transform how battery materials are reused. The research could contribute significantly to the goal of powering the society with energy from clean renewable sources. Educational efforts to broaden the impacts of the project include hosting high school students during the summer and reaching out to sports fans during Boston College’s game days. Moreover, complementary outreach activities are developed to educate the public about the implications of materials research for a sustainable future. The project will address how spent lithium-ion batteries (LIB) can be recycled using a biohydrometallurgy approach. This project responds to an emerging critical challenge due to the rapid accumulation of spent batteries as a result of recent LIB proliferation, and it could transform how spent batteries are recycled for the recovery of critical minerals. Prof. Wang, a material chemist, and Prof. Momeni, a microbiologist, examine Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans (Atf), a class of bacteria that uses inorganic compounds as a source of energy and survive in extremely acidic environments, as a potential medium for self-sustained LIB recycling. The key innovation is to utilize iron that is abundant in the scrap metal of the spent battery casing as the main food source to sustain the growth and reproduction of the bacteria, whose natural metabolism produces acidic solutions to leach key minerals, including Ni, Mn, and Co, from spent batteries. This project promises a recycling scheme that requires minimum transportation of toxic and/or corrosive chemicals. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.